James digs up truths on 2008 Rockies

Tucson – Leave it Bill James to spell out the statistical truth on the 2008 Rockies.

If this guy didn’t love baseball so much he’d probably get a Nobel Prize in astrophysics and then fix the economy in his spare time.

Following are some choice nuggets from James’ latest, “The Bill James Gold Mine 2009.”

* Any real Rockies fan knows that right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez has a vast repertoire of pitches, but James uncovered the fact that Jimenez threw his curveball and changeup in equal portions in 2008, but threw his slider nearly twice as often as his curve.

* Ace Aaron Cook had 305 groundball outs in 2008, second-most in the major leagues. He trailed only Brandon Webb, who notched 319.

* Garrett Atkins’ is striking out a lot more. In 2006, at age 26, Atkins’ strikeout/walk ratio was better than even-up: 79 walks, 76 strikeouts. But last season, Atkins walked just 40 times and struck out 100 times.

James’ conclusion: “It could be that, with the aging of Todd Helton, Atkins has felt more of the pressure of being the Rockies’ RBI guy, and has tried to expand his strike zone, Joe Carter-like, to drive in runs.”

And here’s another James tidbit, one that any close Rockies-watcher was already aware of: In 2006, Atkins hit .319 with the bases empty and.341 with runners in scoring position. In 2008 he hit .322 with the bases empty, but just .225 with runners in scoring position.

And finally, there is this stat which reveals just how poorly the Rockies’ offense fared last season with men on base. In 2008, the opposing pitcher single-handedly escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam without allowing a run six different times. Think of that: six times the Rockies loaded the bases and failed to score with no out. That tied them with the Giants for the dubious achievement as the NL team that fell for the “Houdini Trick” the most times in 2008.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.